Little Kiku and the Big Wave
by Russia-kolkhoz
Summary: This is dedicated to Japan and the big tsunami it suffered in March 2011. Features Kiku as a child. Remember to pray for Japan!
1. Chapter 1

Little Kiku was excited! He was going to spend the weekend with his grandfather at the fishing town of Minamisanriku. His father the businessman had disapproved, of course, but his mother had convinced him that Kiku would be fine and have a great time.

Kiku played Pokemon on his Nintendo DS to pass the long car ride. He eagerly counted the minutes until they would get to their destination.

At long last, they arrived! It was indeed a good day since they had left from Tokyo, and Kiku was tired. He found himself nodding off to sleep, but the sight of a familiar figure roused him. He flew out of the car into his frail grandpa's arms.

"Konichiwa, Kiku-kun." The withered old face stared kindly down at the child.

"Will he be okay?" Kiku's father asked doubtfully. He scratched something down on a sheet of paper. "If something happens, call this number. This is my cell phone number." He handed the paper to the old man.

"He'll be fine, dear," Kiku's mother assured his worried father with a chuckle. "You fret like an old woman."

"Take care of yourself," his dad instructed gruffly. Then he stepped on the gas and the family's Honda sped off the way it had come.

His grandpa laughed heartily. "Your father was always the worrywart." He placed a bony hand on Kiku's shoulder. "Anyways, you should get some rest. We have a big day on the sea tomorrow!"

"We'll catch lots of fish!" Kiku prophesied excitedly. "Then we can cook them and eat them!"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Kiku-boy. The first thing a good fisherman needs is…"

"Adequate rest!" Kiku knew the saying by heart by now. "Yes, Grandpa, of course!" He pounded up the stairs of his grandpa's two-story wooden house.


	2. Chapter 2

Grandpa was up out of his futon at the crack of dawn. He had to make preparations for their fishing excursion. He did not have the heart to wake Kiku because his grandson was sleeping soundly when he checked on him.

But an hour later, Kiku's subconscious reminded him that he was going fishing with his grandfather today. He shot out of bed and dressed in comfortable shorts, a t-shirt, and a life vest just in case. He was down the stairs before the old man expected him.

"You're always so well prepared." A small grin appeared on Grandpa's face. "Here, help Grandpa carry the fishing equipment."

Little Kiku complied eagerly, taking a fishing rod twice his height and a box full of bait. _Such a lively child,_ Grandpa thought as he watched the child, amused.

The two arrived at one of many piers at the border of the town. There were a few rowboats tied to the pier for public use. Grandpa set down his equipment and expertly untied a boat. He kept hold of the rope so it wouldn't drift off and instructed his grandson to load the supplies onto the boat, which Kiku did. Then Kiku stepped into the small boat, followed by Grandpa.

Kiku grabbed a pair of oars and started rowing them out to sea. His grandfather asked why he was doing all the rowing and offered to switch with him, but Kiku replied that he could handle rowing. He didn't want his grandpa to waste energy on rowing; he was frail enough already.

They were about five miles out to sea when Grandpa held up a hand for Kiku to stop. This spot would be their designated fishing area for the day. After they had set up their rods, they commenced fishing.

Kiku tried very hard to focus on his line, but he kept stealing glances at his grandfather out of the corner of his eye. He truly admired his grandpa's fishing skills. The old man concentrated with laserlike intensity on his line. He never looked anywhere else, and he scarcely blinked. There had been a contest in Minamisanriku among the fishermen once a few years back to see who could catch the most fish. The winner would get a portion of the mayor's money. All of the other fishermen had used the latest in fishing technology, imported from America. However, with just a simple wood fishing rod, Grandpa had landed a whopping forty fish in a matter of three hours, setting a world record and putting his opponents to shame. When presented with the prize money by the mayor himself, the old man had modestly turned it down. He did not believe that wealth was the key to happiness. His opinion was that money had made people too greedy. He urged the mayor to keep the money and build a seawall using it instead. The mayor had been surprised at first, but had complied with Grandpa's advice.

ZIP! With a quick tug of the line, the job was done. The fishing prodigy had performed his magic again. Kiku was so excited that he didn't notice his line being pulled down. He would have lost his fish if Grandpa hadn't swiftly taken hold of his grandson's fishing rod and yanked hard. It had only been five minutes since they'd been fishing and they had already gotten two fish. It promised to be a rewarding day.


	3. Chapter 3

They had gotten nearly fifty fish when strange things started happening. The once-still water became unusually turbulent. After that came a bone-shaking tremor. Silence for a few precious moments as little Kiku stared, wide-eyed and frightened, at his grandfather. The old man reached out and clasped Kiku's miniature hands in his long, bony ones.

Their rowboat was sucked out farther into the ocean as the water receded from the shore. Grandpa attempted to row back in the opposite direction of the water, but it was a futile effort. Kiku buried his face in Grandpa's chest. Grandpa wrapped his thin arms around the child. "It will be okay," he soothed. "It'll be okay." But he was just trying to convince himself of it, too.

The water rolled out to about fifty miles out to sea. Then came the surge. With an ear-splitting roar, the waves crashed forward, engulfing the petite rowboat in the process. Kiku and his grandfather were submerged completely. The kid had his life jacket on, which started him back up to the surface. He clung to his grandpa with all his might, even when the furious water threatened to steal the old man from him forever.

But his grandfather's extra weight was keeping them from reaching the surface. It would only be a matter of time before Kiku lost consciousness from oxygen deprivation. He kicked and propelled them upwards frantically. He was beginning to feel the effects of oxygen deprivation now- he was getting lightheaded and could barely see anything. He couldn't even see a foot in front of him. The water, black, angry, swirling, was all around grandfather and grandson.

At last, Kiku could hold out no longer. He needed to get to the surface for air quickly, because he was a few seconds away from dying. His face was blue. His fingers instinctively released their hold on his grandfather's shirt, and the old man drifted into the chaotic blackness, still living, yes, still with a beating heart. The last thing his tired old eyes saw before he drowned was the slim outline of his beloved grandson floating to the surface. And with all the breath he could muster, these words emerged from his mouth as bubbles: "Be well, Kiku." And he was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter contains many real facts about the tsunami. It required a lot of research, but I managed to get it done. **

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><p>The bubbles containing Grandpa's last words tailed Kiku all the way to the surface. As his head came above the water, the bubbles reached his ears and he heard what his beloved grandpa had spoken. An intense feeling of guilt overwhelmed him. He was tempted to go back for his grandpa, but the words stopped him. He knew that that was not what the old fisherman wished him to do.<p>

The tsunami was rapidly approaching the seawall around Minamisanriku. Inside the village, at the local Crisis Management Department building, a young woman named Miki Endo was warning everyone to evacuate through a loudspeaker. She knew that she wouldn't survive if she stayed here and kept it up, but there were lives to be saved. She couldn't give up now.

The wave, carrying little Kiku, was 30 meters away from the seawall…20...10...BOOM! The force of the waves was as good as a wrecking ball against the seawall. The structure was built to withstand waves of up to 5.5 meters, but these monstrous waves were more than 16 meters high. They easily demolished the seawall and poured over the top. When he was slammed against the seawall, poor Kiku heard something snap. The pain was unbearable, and he blacked out.

The water continued to do its work, carving a path of destruction through the town. The elderly could not have evacuated so fast; they did not stand a chance. Most of the townfolk were still huddled in their homes, scared out of their wits. Some had heeded Miki Endo's warnings to evacuate and headed to evacuation centers located on higher grounds. The torrent gushed into houses, blowing them apart from the inside and then crushing them like ants from the top.

The town mayor, Jin Sato, was at a meeting at the town hall when the waves crashed in. He managed to escape to the three-story Crisis Management Department building and make it to the roof before he was submerged in the torrent for a full three minutes. However, even three stories was not enough to avoid the wrath of the tsunami. Miki Endo was heroic up until the last second of her life, shouting her lungs out for everyone to hear her. Then the waves swallowed her up and her announcements were abruptly cut off.

Only thirty people reached the roof of the Crisis Management Department building. Only ten of those thirty survived.

The Shizugawa hospital held against the onslaught, but not without some damage. 74 out of its 109 patients died during the ordeal.

It was March 11, 2011. The day that Minamisanriku was wiped out of existence.


	5. Chapter 5

The first thing that came into view when Kiku woke up was the blank white ceiling of a hospital room. His big brown eyes panned the room and saw several other kids seated in chairs around his bed. He attempted to sit up, but a sharp and sudden pain forced him back down again. The kid seated at the head of the bed exclaimed, "He's awake!" He looked like a lively character, with glasses, dirty-blonde hair, and captivating blue eyes. He wore a brown bomber jacket with a star on it that was several sizes too big for him.

"Shh!" hushed the pretty girl on Kiku's left. She had a slim frame with very long brown hair and round eyes the same color and size as Kiku's. There was a beautiful, delicate pink blossom in her tresses which matched the pink qipao with long, frilly sleeves she had on. "We shouldn't scare him even more! He just went through a near-death experience."

"She's right," agreed the blonde boy on Kiku's right. Kiku couldn't keep himself from noticing his very thick brows. This boy had emerald-green eyes, and his hair was pretty messy. He was clothed in a black suit and tie, which was very unusual for a boy his age, although he did look a bit older than the other two.

The boy at the head of the bed gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, his blue eyes shooting daggers at the one on the right. The well-dressed boy glared back. The girl, sensing that a fight was about to break out, scolded both of them, "Didn't you come to help these poor people? If you fight here, do you think you'll be of any help to them?" Her words were soft, but they had a sharp tinge to them that made both boys hang their heads in shame.

"Eh…" mumbled the messy-haired boy. "Well then, I suppose we should tell this poor lad what happened."

"Okay," shouted the loud boy. "But let's introduce ourselves first. I'm Alfred F. Jones, the hero of the world! I'm from America."

"You said that just to brag, didn't you?" scoffed the kid in the suit. "Well, I'm Arthur Kirkland. A pleasure to meet you. I come from England."

"I'm Xiao Mei," said the girl. "But I guess you could call me Meimei. I'm from Taiwan."

"Where's my grandpa?" blurted Kiku. It had all come back to him now; he remembered it all, it had washed into his brain like the tsunami through the village. He'd left his grandpa to die and saved himself. He was a selfish, no-good fool!

"We did find a few old mens' bodies," Arthur reported.

"Really? Take me to them!" demanded Kiku.

"Calm yourself," chided Xiao Mei. "You're in no condition to be walking around. It's a miracle that you survived. You had a few broken ribs when we found you."

"We got here as fast as we could after we heard the news from Japan," recalled Alfred. "People from our countries came with us as volunteers. We brought medical supplies and food with us. But by the time we arrived, thousands of people had died." His jaw clenched and his eyes grew misty.

Xiao Mei continued the story for him. "But there could be people who could still be saved. We dug through all the debris and yes, we found many corpses, but we also found the injured and dying. We rushed them all to the nearest hospitals as soon as we could. You were the twenty-first victim we found. You were on the verge of death, but I'm glad that we were able to save you." She gave a sad little smile.

"We did lose people, however," said Arthur, his face taking a dark cast. "We weren't able to save most of the ones we found. I'm sorry." A single tear rolled out of one of his brilliant green eyes.

Kiku recounted to them what had befallen him and his grandfather.

Xiao Mei held Kiku's hand in her own. Her warm brown eyes stared into his, reflecting his sorrow. "That's terrible. No one should ever have to make a decision like that between sparing themselves or a family member. I will go look for your grandpa's body. Please tell me what he looks like."

Kiku vividly described his grandfather, but in doing so, he told his newfound friends about his times with his grandpa as well.

"That's so sweet, man!" commented Alfred. "Don't worry, the hero will find your grandpa for you, you can count on it!" He sped out of the room.

"We'll all do our best," promised Arthur as he and Xiao Mei followed.

But a couple hours later, the three returned, defeated. "We couldn't find him," grumbled Alfred, his head drooping low.

"We'll try again tomorrow," vowed Arthur. "In fact, we'll try every day until we find him!"

"Yes," said Xiao Mei. "We will definitely get Kiku's grandpa back to him!"

Xiao Mei cooked up some warm congee* for Kiku to eat, then the three kids bid their farewells to Kiku and left him in peace for the rest of the day.

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><p>*Congee is a type of porridge with soft yam often served in Taiwan. It is plain and good for the digestive system.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

The next day, at the crack of dawn, the three kids were back to tend to Kiku and wait on his every need. They left again to search for his grandpa, but, as before, they returned defeated. They repeated this every single day until one day, they gave up.

"Your grandpa has been claimed by the ocean," Xiao Mei assumed. "We can't find him anywhere. We tried our best, Kiku. I hate to say this, but…he's gone."

Barely restraining his tears, Kiku choked out, "It's not your fault. You did your best."

"We should probably leave him alone," suggested Arthur when he caught sight of Kiku's teared-up eyes. The other two agreed, and they exited not a moment too soon. A minute later, intense sobbing could be heard through the wall.

Outside, Jin Sato was visiting his family's grave. Somehow, he had managed to survive the torrent, but his wife and son were not as fortunate. Around him, a throng of survivors absently picked at the remains of their village, hoping to find a few precious belongings or some spare change. No one had any idea how to continue on with life. They had no purpose, no aims. Their dreams had been crushed by the roaring waves. They wandered around like zombies, with dead eyes and sagging postures.

Everywhere lay corpses. It was as if they were merely asleep, they looked so peaceful. Among them was Miki Endo. She'd perished with a serene smile on her face, for though she could not see it, she had saved thousands of lives with her announcements.

Kiku's parents arrived later that day to comfort their stricken son and check on his condition. The newspaper had informed them that Grandpa was one of the victims classified as "missing". They knew how close Kiku was to his grandfather, so they had come over as quickly as they could.

"I knew it was a bad idea to let him come to Minamisanriku," growled Kiku's father. "He nearly got killed!"

His mother snapped back defensively. "It wasn't a bad idea. Nature can't be controlled, and we just sent him at the wrong time. All I wanted was to let him have a fun time with Grandpa."

"My father was such a fool," Dad said quietly. "Always enjoying himself, living a carefree lifestyle without any regard to earning money. When I was young, my mother was the one who had to work to sustain our whole family. She worked herself to death! As I stood over her grave, I vowed that I would never be the type of man my father was. I swore I would make a living and keep my whole family alive."

"Then you must be glad that Grandpa's dead!" In a sudden fit of rage, Kiku spat these words at his father. "You never liked him in the first place, and you always disagreed when I asked to go spend time with him. Well, you know what, Dad? I love him ten times more than I love you because I hate you!" He coughed up some blood from the outburst.

His father's expression was a mix of sadness and hopelessness. He left the room without a word. Mom assured Kiku that sometimes Dad could be a jerk as she wiped the blood from his mouth and gave him water to drink.

A few weeks passed, then Kiku was able to walk outside with his new international friends supporting him. He spotted something in the sand and thought he recognized it. "Could you please pick that up for me?" he asked, pointing at the object. Arthur bent down and snatched it up. It was quite dirty, but Kiku could make out what it was.

Grandpa's lucky fish pendant. It was a simple wooden figurine in the shape of a fish hanging on a leather strap. However, it meant a lot to Kiku. Images of his grandfather raced through his mind as he took the pendant from Arthur's hand. Grandpa had always told him that he would pass the pendant on to him someday, but Kiku never imagined that it would be passed on in this way. He clutched the pendant to his small chest. He knew what had to be done.

"Rocks," he blurted out.

"Pardon?" asked Xiao Mei.

"I need all the rocks you can find."

Not sure what to make of this unusual request, his friends nevertheless started searching for rocks. They found many that had been washed ashore by the tsunami, and they handed them in to Kiku. The little boy started working.

Within months, a new seawall had been built around the town. This one was even taller its predecessor, boasting a 20-meter-high, solid frame composed entirely of rocks the four youngsters had collected. Once the others caught on to what Kiku was doing, they'd immediately helped him out.

And on the very top of the seawall, there stood a pole. On this pole hung a wooden fish pendant.


End file.
